Published on: Thursday, January 26, 2012

By Alexis A. Goring

Donna Crocker Mason is “very excited” about her opportunity to serve as the executive director of Human Services Coalition, especially since she has been with the organization from the start.

“I was one of the folks around to help found the Human Services Coalition many years ago when it operated without staff, just growing and trying to figure out its mission and vision and get very focused … so it’s an exciting time,” Mason said.

As part of her new role, Mason wants to continue bringing the organization’s vision to fruition.

“The vision of the Human Services Coalition is the growth of a vibrant community, a vibrant nonprofit community that supports vibrant Prince George’s County community,” she said. “So supporting that vision, that’s my vision.”

The coalition helps Prince George’s County residents through the nonprofit sector in various ways.

“One is that we’re making sure that the nonprofits are strong in their operations so that their service delivery can be stronger and more effective,” said Maggie Holmes, HSC president.

“So we spend a tremendous amount of time working on building the capacity of the organizations and that way they can serve their constituents and the targeted population that they want to serve in a much more efficient and effective way,” she added.

Kim Rhim, founder and executive director of The Training Source Inc., has been a lifelong member, since the coalition’s inception in 2001.

“Funding is one of the critical issues in the nonprofit community that’s causing many to close their doors. So we need all the information we can get in order to be sustainable and continue critical, community-based programs,” she said.

One issue facing Human Services Coalition is making the organization relevant in the funding community, Rhim said.

William Thomas, program developer at Unity Economic Development Corporation, said the organization for which he works provides financial coaching, helping first-time homebuyers, credit counseling, life skills as well as foreclosure prevention.

“Here in Prince George’s County, there are a lot of families that are behind in the mortgage, a lot of people who are looking to improve their credit,” he said. “We do a lot of first time homebuyer training and a lot of people are looking to improve their credit through that.”

A member of Human Services Coalition for about two years, Thomas joined through networking because of the agencies involved.

“The most important thing is that you’re an effective organization, that you’re providing services that the community needs and that you’re doing it effectively, that you can talk about the difference that you’re making in the lives of low-income people,” said Karen FitzGerald from the Meyer Foundation. “And then we’re also looking for strong organizations, we’re looking for strong boards, we’re looking for organizations that are well-managed financially, things like that.”